Brawl Could Wind Up Indian Army Artillery Unit

The Indian Army's 226 Field Regiment, which operates 105mm field guns in the high altitudes of Eastern Ladakh could be disbanded in the wake of a violent clash between officers and men during a field firing exercise at the Mahe range near Nyoma in the Himalayas on May 10. Commanding Officer of the unit, Colonel Prasad Kadam is understood to have suffered multiple fractures in the brawl that involved soldiers and unit officers while deployed at the Mahe field firing range outside Nyoma. As the Army fast-tracks its court of inquiry into the incident, Colonel Yatinder Nandal now officiates as CO, while Kadam's predecessor, Colonel Yogi Sheoran is reported to have been rushed in leverage the good relations he had with unit men to assuage tensions. Word is that the unit is likely to be disbanded, with several personnel almost certain to face courts martial.

The soldier who was assaulted is Sepoy Suman Ghosh. The Major-rank officers who are understood to have been involved in the brawl are Majors A.K. Sharma, Ameya D. Kanade, Kapil Malik, Thomas Varghese and Ankur Tewari. Maj Sharma is being treated for injuries, though it is not clear if the others required treatment as well.

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